Clothes driers



March 29, 1955 P. HOPKINS CLOTHES DRIERS Filed Feb. 9, 1954 T man mm mm w a u R J J m m m6 A m m M n m m 3 v E M 2 m m m mm} d n 1 u u WM t D Q rm w L a m m a L I m T w m mm Y m m T L n u 1 N I fi m r m? m n x m u H15 ATTOR NEY United States Patent CLOTHES DRIERS Lionel P. Hopkins, Summit, N. J.

Application February 9, 1954, Serial No. 409,111

4 Claims. (Cl. 34-76) This invention relates to clothes driers, and more particularly those which may be conveniently installed within a home laundry or kitchen.

The construction of present home clothes driers is such that in operation they tend to greatly increase the moisture content of the air and expel lint in the room in which they are being operated. This operating characteristic is particularly undesirable where the device is being used in a kitchen or other room of the home. The heated moisture laden air, expelled by the device, may cause serious water damage to the walls and household furnishings by the condensation of the water vapor thereon. A further disadvantage of present day home driers is their relative long operating time.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a clothes drier that will not appreciably raise the humidity of the air in the room in which it is operated.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a drier which more quickly dries clothes commensurate with the heat applied and the size of the blowers used.

A feature of the present invention is its novel wall and battle construction and air circulation means to dehumidfy the moist air within the drier.

A further feature of.this invention is its novel internal construction which prevents the possibility of even a partial recirculation of the moisture laden air.

A still further feature of the present invention is the provision of lint traps which may be removable for cleaning or replacement.

The invention consists of the construction, combina tion and arrangement of parts, as herein illustrated, described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, is illustrated one form of embodiment of the invention, in which drawings similar reference characters designate corresponding parts, and in which:

Figure l is a front elevational view of the clothes drier according to this invention, showing the front doors in a closed position.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view in section taken along line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings, specifically to Fig. 1, indicates a cabinet having doors 11 mounted in the front thereof.

A screened air-intake opening 12 is provided above the said doors 11.

Within the cabinet 10 there is located a drying compartment 9 having a blower and heater chamber 13 positioned above a clothes rack receiving chamber 14 (see Figs. 2 and 3).

The chambers 13 and 14 are in direct communication with each other through a guard screen 15. The screen 15 serves to prevent clothes or hands from accidentally contacting the resistance heaters 16 or the bladed fan 17. The side walls of the drying compartment 9 are formed by vertical inner walls 21 and 22, which walls are spaced inwardly of the outer walls 23 and 24 of the cabinet 10.

As best shown in Fig. 3, the inner walls 21 and 22 have openings therein adjacent the floor 25 and stop short of the top wall 26 of the cabinet 10. The walls 21 and 22 may be secured by welding, or other suitable means, to the front Wall 27 and the rear wall 28 of the cabinet. Above the drying compartament 9 is an exhaust chamber 18 formed by the cabinet top 26 and a horizontal ice plate 33. Across the top of the walls 21 and 22 is secured an arcuate plate 29.

To the inner face of the walls 21 and 22, m compartment 14, is secured a retractable and extendable clothes rack 35, of any suitable type. Between each side wall 23 and 24 and each wall 21, 22, and parallel thereto, is placed a vertical bafile 36. The bafile plates 36 are secured at the bottom to a base plate 41 and form two air passages or ducts 37 and 38 on opposite sides of the drying compartment 9.

To the under side of the plate 29 is mounted a motor 30. The armature shaft 31 of the motor 30 extends beyond both ends of the motor housing. Each end of the shaft 31 supports a bladed fan 17 and 32. The fans 17 and 32 are of any suitable design.

It is within the purview of the present invention to operate the bladed fans 17 and 32 by separate motors. A second motor may then be mounted in the exhaust chamber 18. Bladed fan 17 draws air into the cabinet 10 through screened opening 12 where it is warmed by the heaters 16 and then forced through the clothes receiving compartment 14. Fan 32 rotating above a circular opening in plate 33 of the exhaust chamber 18, expels air from the cabinet through side ports 34.

When the drier is in operation, air is drawn into the cabinet 10 by fan 17 through screened opening 12 located in the front wall 27 of the cabinet. At the same time, fan 17 forces air, heated by the heaters 16, down past the clothes in the compartment 14. As air is being drawn into and through chambers 13 and 14, the fan 32 draws outside air into the bottom of the cabinet through side ports 39 in the bottom of the cabinet side walls 23 and 24. The heated air passing through chamber 14 absorbs moisture from the clothes therein and is then drawn up through inner ducts 38 by fan 32. The outside air passing through outer ducts 37 is considerably cooler than the heated air in the cabinet. The passage of this relatively cold air through outer ducts 37 keeps baflles 36 cool. As the warm moist air, traveling through inner ducts 38, is cooled by contact with the bathe plates 36, moisture is condensed therefrom. Further cooling and condensation of the moisture laden air takes place at plate 29 where the cool air from the outer ducts 37 comes into intimate contact with the warm air being drawn through the inner ducts 38. The dehumidified air is then drawn into the exhaust chamber 18 and expelled from the cabinet 10 through lint traps or filters 40 and exhaust openings 34.

Moisture condensing on plate 29 in passage 38 runs down the walls 21, 22, and the bafiles 36 to an inwardly sloped base plate 41. The base plate 41 is spaced below walls 21, 22, so as to allow for a communicating passageway between the lower part of compartment 14 and the duct 38. A removable pan-drawer is provided on the floor 25 of the cabinet 10, under the central opening 42 of the base plate 41 to trap the condensate and water run-off from the clothes.

For cleaning or replacement purposes, access may be had to the lint traps 40 by removal of the cover plates 44 in the front wall 27 of the cabinet 10.

In the structure, above described, it is impossible for the cooled moisture laden air, or part thereof, once it has passed through chamber 14, to be recirculated through the chamber 14. This feature is accomplished by the extensive shielding effect of plates 21, 22 and 29 of the chamber 13 and compartment 14 and the utilization of a blower fan 17 cooperating with an exhaust fan 32.

The cooperating fans 17 and 32 cause a positive directional air flow which prevents recirculation of moist air through compartment 14.

In addition, this positive air circulation system greatly reduces operating time of the drier. To further reduce the operating time, an exhaust fan 32, larger than the intake fan 17, may be installed. As the air through fan 32 withdraws air from the drying compartment 14 faster than it is replaced by fan 17, the atmospheric pressure within the compartment 14 will be reduced, and thereby increase the rate of evaporation of moisture from the clothes suspended therein.

It will be seen that the above described apparatus provides a drier which dehumidifies the heatedair so as to prevent the expulsion of excessively moist air. This dehumidifying action is accomplished without the use of chemicals or expensive heat exchanger units. Further, the drier disclosed prevents even partial recirculation of moist air, thereby providing a faster drying action. The drier having lint traps, prevents the expelled air from carrying lint outside the apparatus.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. A drier comprising, a cabinet having air intake and exhaust openings in the walls thereof, a heated drying compartment within said cabinet spaced from the cabinet side walls, an exhaust chamber in the top of the cabinet above the drying compartment, a vertical baflle disposed at each side of the drying compartment between the drying compartment side walls and the side walls of the cabinet so as to divide the space into a pair of inner and outer air ducts, said inner ducts being in communication at their lower ends with-the drying compartment and at their upper ends with the exhaust chamber, said outer ducts having air intake openings at their lower ends and being in communication at their upper ends with the exhaust chamber, a first fan carried within the upper portion of the drying compartment so as to direct air into and through said compartment, a second fan mounted within the exhaust chamber to draw air through the ducts and to expel said air through exhaust openings in the cabinet side walls and means for rotating said first and second fans.

2. A drier comprising, a cabinet having air intake and exhaust openings in the walls thereof, a heated drying compartment comprising two spaced vertical walls and a horizontal top wall secured to the front and rear walls of the cabinet, said compartment disposed within the cabinet so as to be spaced from the cabinet side walls, an exhaust chamber in the top of the cabinet above the drying compartment, a vertical baflie disposed at each side of the drying compartment between the drying compartment side walls and the side walls of the cabinet so as to divide the space into a pair of inner and outer air ducts, said inner ducts being in communication at their lower ends with the drying compartment and at their upper ends with the exhaust chamber, said outer ducts having air intake openings at their lower ends and being in communication at their upper ends with the exhaust chamber, a first fan carried within the upper portion of the dryingcompartment so as to direct air into and through said compartment, a second fan mounted within the exhaust chamber to draw airthrough theducts and to expel said air through exhaust openings in the cabinet ilde walls, and means for rotating said first and second ans.

3. A drier comprising, a cabinet having air intake and exhaust openings in the walls thereof, a heated drying compartment within said cabinet spaced from the cabinet side walls, an exhaust chamber in the top of the cabinet above the drying compartment, a vertical bafile disposed at each side of the drying compartment between the drying compartment side walls and the side walls of the cabinet so as to divide the space into a pair of inner and outer air ducts, said inner ducts being in communication at their lower ends with the drying compartment and at their upper ends with the exhaust chamber, said outer ducts having air intake openings at their lower ends and being in communication at their upper ends with the exhaust chamber, a first fan carried within the upper portion of the drying compartment so as to direct air into and through said compartment, a second fan mounted within the exhaust chamber to draw air through the ducts and to expel said air through exhaust openings in the cabinet side walls and means for rotating said first and second fans comprising a double armature shaft motor secured within the drying compartment to the top wall thereof.

4. A drier comprising, a cabinet having air intake and exhaust openings in the walls thereof, a heated drying compartment within said cabinet'spaced from'the cabinet side walls, an exhaust chamber in the top of the cabinet above the drying compartment, a vertical bafile disposed at each side of the drying compartment between the drying compartment side walls and the side walls of the cabinet so as to divide the space into a pair of inner and outer air ducts, said inner ducts being in communication at their lower ends with the drying compartment and at their upper ends with the exhaust chamber, said outer ducts having air intake openings at their lower ends and being in communication at their upper ends with the exhaust chamber, a first fan carried within the upper portion of the drying compartment so as to direct air into and through said compartment, a second fan mounted within the exhaust chamber to draw air through the ducts and to expel said air through exhaust openings in the cabinet side walls and means for rotating said first and second fans, an inwardly sloped base plate disposed within the cabinet and below the drying compartment, a drip-pan slidably mounted atthe bottom of the cabinet, said base plate having a central opening to permit condensate and water run-off from the goods suspended in the drying compartment to be trapped in said drip-pan.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain Mar. 10, 1939 

